Dog Harnesses: Should you use them?

Dog harness or collar? If you have a pet or thinking about getting one, there is a hot debate about whether or not pets should be walked in a collar or harness. What is your opinion? We want to provide information for pet owners, so they know the purposes of each. We want to help you keep your furry friends safe and protected on their walks! We will provide information about both then tell you our favorite options that can be purchased in-store or online.

Dog Collars

Dog collars go around your pet’s neck, and clasps closed so that it stays in place. A collar serves many purposes like fashion, safety, restraint, identification, and protection. Dog collars come in many cute styles and colors, so picking your favorite can be hard. On these dog collars, identification and medical tags are placed in case your pet goes missing or gets injured. Collars are too commonly used to walk pets on a leash. If your pet is perfectly trained to walk on a leash without pulling, jumping, or trying to get off their leash or out their collar, then a collar is okay. If they are not adequately leashed trained, a collar can be damaging to your pet’s trachea. Constant tugging, pulling, and pressure around the neck can cause issues to the neck area over time.

Dog Harnesses

Dog harnesses consist of straps that fit around your pet’s torso. Unlike a collar, a harness places pressure around the entire torso of your pet versus pressure at the neck. There are many benefits to using a harness versus a collar. A collar is more used for a holder for your pet’s vital information, almost like how we carry a wallet or purse on us at all times. Dog harnesses are better for training a dog on a leash. They are a great training tool for puppies who are learning to use a leash, and a harness can help prevent them from getting hurt or choking themselves. If you are walking your pet on a crowded or busy street, harnesses help to keep better control of your pet so that they stay safely beside you! Harnesses overall discourage pulling because your pet can pull all they want, but you have control of them by their chest. They are unable to pull with a lot of force. Another reason a harness is good is because if you have a pet and they need some assistance, a harness helps to pull them up with ease if they are getting ready to walk. Lastly, we all know that training can be hard, and it can be very easy for some dogs to escape out of their collars. Harnesses prevent your little escape artist from actually escaping.

Best Harnesses for Your Pet

As we mentioned, harnesses are best if you are walking and training your pet. We wanted to share some really great harnesses with you so you could start training today!

If you have a toy to a small-sized dog, a soft mesh harness is a great option! It is very breathable as well as lightweight. You can get a harness like this almost anywhere, Target, Walmart, and all pet stores. If you have Amazon Prime and would prefer to online order, we found a link you could use! Click here.

If you have a bigger and stronger dog, a no-pull harness can be handy for you. The tru-fit smart harness has five adjustment points and is easily customizable for any dog. It has a padded chest plate that helps to protect the sternum and trachea. It even comes with a 10-inch lead, which you can use as a seat-belt loop for your pet! We found a link for you on Amazon if you’d like to check it out!

If you have a medium to large dog, and you take them out often at night, we have the perfect harness for your pet! It is a heavy-duty harness that is strong for all bigger dogs and has reflective strips on it so that way your pet can be seen by cars. It is straightforward to put on and adjust. We found a link for it on Amazon if you would like to take a look. Click here.

Why not have both?

We advise that pets have both a collar and a harness. A collar is critical for identification, so please make sure your pet has a properly fitted collar with their name, your name, and number in case they get lost. If they have a medical tag, please be sure that it is also secured with the identification tag! Your dog can be identified appropriately and harnessed on their walks with their favorite human.

We hope you enjoyed learning about dog harnesses! We find them to be very safe and useful for all dog pals. If you have any questions regarding harnesses, please do not hesitate to give us a call. If you would like to make an appointment, our Anaheim veterinarian will be happy to see you at Brookhurst Animal Medical Center. You can feel free to make an appointment on our website!